ABSTRACT
Burns collected a version o f this song from a girl in Nithdale and, after some re-writing, sent it to the editor o f the Museum, where it appeared under the title o f ‘A W aukrife M innie’ . M ost o f the versions reported from Scotland during the last few years show signs o f the narrative becom ing overwhelmed by a nonsense chorus. This is undoubtedly due to the fact that the song has become a popular children’s piece, which serves to accom pany a game. In England, on the other hand, particularly in the southern counties, the song still retains its older form : a song o f courtship, with a short nonsense refrain.
